Save money by understanding the hidden costs of certification.
QA managers who measure their full certification cost reduce it by 30–45% within three years. This toolkit gives you everything you need to do that — in 30 minutes, with numbers your CFO will trust. The whitepaper. The calculator. The board-ready presentation.
Three outcomes. Every QA manager can deliver them.
The toolkit isn't about complaining that certification costs too much. It's about giving you the numbers and the framework to make it cost less — while improving your food safety system at the same time.
See what's really costing you
Map every euro your certification consumes — the visible 20% on the invoice and the 80% hiding in QA hours, production downtime, and corrective actions. Done in 30 minutes with the calculator.
Identify your biggest savings
Five proven strategies that have reduced certification costs by 30–45% in dozens of food companies. Document hygiene, risk-based supplier assurance, system thinking — and exactly how to implement each one.
Defend your budget with confidence
Walk into the board meeting with a 6-slide presentation already built. ROI calculated. Three actions proposed. The conversation shifts from "may we spend this?" to "how do we keep this running smarter?"
Why €99 is the easiest investment you'll make this year.
For a mid-sized food company, certification costs around €200,000 per year all-in. A 30% reduction over three years is roughly €180,000 in savings — enough to fund a junior QA hire, a process improvement project, or just better margins.
The toolkit costs €99. It pays for itself the moment you identify your first unnecessary hour of QA work — which, judging by every implementation I've seen, happens in the first 30 minutes.
Conservative estimate for mid-sized profile (50-150 FTE). Larger companies see higher absolute savings. Your numbers will differ — that's what the calculator is for.
Three tools. One coherent story.
Designed to be used together. The whitepaper shows you what to look for, the calculator measures it for your company, and the presentation helps you turn the insight into action.
The Savings Playbook
A 20-page guide that explains where certification budgets typically leak — and the five proven strategies to plug them. Real benchmarks for small, mid-sized, and large food companies. An honest ROI calculation, including the assumptions.
The Savings Calculator
An Excel workbook with 8 sheets and 100+ formulas. Plug in your hourly costs, your team's time per activity, and your production impact. Get a complete cost picture, ROI, and savings potential — printable for your management meeting.
The Board Presentation
A 6-slide PowerPoint, ready to present. Doughnut chart of where the money goes, ROI breakdown, three concrete actions for the next quarter. Fully editable so you can drop in your own numbers from the calculator.
Two ways to get started.
Both plans include the complete toolkit — same whitepaper, same calculator, same presentation. The Premium plan adds a 45-minute call with Alexander to apply the toolkit to your specific situation.
- The Savings Playbook (PDF, 20 pages)
- The Savings Calculator (Excel, 8 sheets)
- The Board Presentation (PowerPoint)
- Email support for setup questions (30 days)
- Free lifetime updates
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- 45-minute video call with Alexander — apply the calculator to your specific situation, review your numbers, get tailored advice
- Everything in Standard, plus:
- The Savings Playbook · Calculator · Presentation
- Priority email support (90 days)
- Free lifetime updates
- 30-day money-back guarantee
If the toolkit doesn't identify at least €99 in savings opportunities for your company, email me within 30 days and I'll refund you in full. No forms, no questions. I can promise this because the math has never failed yet.
Alexander Platteeuw
Food safety consultant and founder of A+ Quality. Over 25 years of experience as a GFSI lead auditor and QA/food safety manager in the food industry. Guides food companies in Belgium, the Netherlands, and increasingly internationally through BRCGS, IFS, FSSC 22000, and HACCP processes.
Provides QFor certified training, runs the Foodsafety.academy learning platform, and hosts the podcast Better Foodsafe Than Sorry. His approach starts from the conviction that food safety is primarily about people and common sense — not paper.
This toolkit distils 25 years of consulting into something every QA manager can apply in a single afternoon. It's the system Alexander uses with his own clients — packaged so you can use it yourself.
"Alexander helped us prepare for our annual BRCGS / IFS audit. He didn't just provide technical support — he coached the QA team and built a stronger food safety culture across the entire organisation."Jorgen De Pelsmaeker CEO, The Spice Factory
Things you might want to know.
What exactly do I get?
Both plans include the complete toolkit, delivered as a download immediately after purchase: a 20-page whitepaper explaining where certification costs hide and how to reduce them, an Excel workbook (8 sheets, 100+ formulas) that calculates your specific situation, and a 6-slide PowerPoint template ready for your management meeting. Plus a VAT-compliant invoice, email support, and free lifetime updates.
Premium adds a 45-minute video call with Alexander to apply the calculator to your situation and identify your biggest savings opportunities.
How is this different from free content I can find online?
Free articles tell you that certification has hidden costs. The toolkit measures them for your specific company and gives you a step-by-step framework to reduce them. The calculator alone took 80+ hours to build and tune against real consultancy engagements. You're paying for the synthesis of 25 years of field experience, not for the information itself.
Will this work outside Belgium and the Netherlands?
Yes. The frameworks and strategies apply to any company under BRCGS, IFS, FSSC 22000, SQF, or similar GFSI-recognised standards — anywhere in the world. The benchmark figures are calibrated on European data, so day rates and labour costs may differ slightly in your market. The calculator lets you input your own hourly costs, so the output will always be specific to your situation.
What if my company doesn't have a GFSI certificate yet?
The toolkit is even more valuable in that case. The whitepaper shows you what the total cost of certification really looks like — visible plus hidden — so you can budget properly. The calculator lets you build a realistic case before you start. Several consultants and food companies preparing for their first certification have been some of my earliest customers.
Can I share the toolkit with colleagues at my company?
Yes — the licence covers your whole company. Share the files with your QA team, your CFO, anyone who'll benefit. The licence is per organisation, not per user. Just please don't redistribute outside your company (no uploading to file-sharing sites, no reselling). If a colleague at a different company wants a copy, send them this page.
How does the money-back guarantee work?
If after using the toolkit you don't believe it identifies at least €99 in savings opportunities for your company, email info@aplusquality.be within 30 days of purchase. You'll get a full refund — no forms, no questions, no hard feelings. The math has never failed yet, but the guarantee is there because I want you to feel confident.
What's the difference between Standard and Premium?
The Standard plan (€99) gives you the complete toolkit: whitepaper, calculator, and presentation — everything you need to do this yourself. The Premium plan (€249) adds a 45-minute one-on-one video call with Alexander. In that call we apply the calculator to your specific situation, review your numbers together, and identify the biggest savings opportunities for your company. The call alone is worth €180 at standard consultancy rates, so Premium is essentially a 47% discount when you'd otherwise pay for the consultation separately.
What payment methods are accepted?
Payment is processed securely via Plug&Pay. Accepted methods: iDEAL (Netherlands), Bancontact (Belgium), credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express). After successful payment, you receive the download links and a VAT-compliant invoice within 30 seconds.
EU businesses with a valid VAT number can apply reverse charge (0% VAT) by entering their VAT ID at checkout. Belgian customers pay 21% VAT. Non-EU customers pay no EU VAT.
I'd like a personal consultation instead. Is that possible?
Absolutely. A+ Quality offers consultancy, training, and audit support to food companies across Europe. The toolkit is the do-it-yourself version of the methodology; for a tailored audit and implementation, get in touch directly at info@aplusquality.be or call +32 479 99 36 32.
Defend your certification budget. Identify your savings. In one afternoon.
Three tools. Twenty-five years of field experience. From €99, one-time. Free updates for life. Backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
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